Cellular wireless communication networks were originally designed to support voice communications. For example, the TIA/EIA-95 family of standards describe a code division multiple access (CDMA) air interface in which different codes define traffic channels that share a 1.25 MHz frequency channel. Each traffic channel can be used to transmit a digitally encoded voice signal, for example, at a data rate of 9600 bits per second (bps).
Cellular wireless communication networks have evolved to support higher data rates for communications over the forward link (from a base station to a mobile station) and the reverse link (from a mobile station to a base station). In the 1xRTT approach of cdma2000, different codes define fundamental channels and supplemental channels that share a 1.25 MHz frequency channel. A forward or reverse fundamental channel may be configured to support a data rate of up to 14.4 kpbs. A supplemental channel, however, may be configured to support a higher data rate. For example, a forward or reverse supplemental channel may be configured to support a data rate of up to 307.2 kpbs.
In order to achieve a particular data rate in a fundamental or supplemental channel, the signal is transmitted in accordance with predefined characteristics, including a particular type of modulation and a particular type of forward error correction (FEC) coding. The predefined characteristics that may be used to achieve different data rates are described in 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2, “Physical Layer Standard for cdma2000 Spread Spectrum Systems, Revision E,” 3GPP2 C.S0002-E, Version 1.0, September 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.